wannabespeedy

Looking to pick up my first road bike. I'm upgrading from a Citibike membership and want something that's actually fast, which would make longer rides way more enjoyable. I'm also interested in Zwifting during the winter. I've biked for a long while but have always rented/owned cheap bikes and would like to make an investment. I would like something that isn't 50lbs and that I can actually ride on the road fast enough.... looking at a sick Diverge Comp which would be great for the rough tracks.

Am I crazy to want to buy a nicer bike with a budget of $2.5-3k as my first real bike? Should I start with something cheaper and work my way up? I feel like I know what I want out of a road bike and have had the opportunity to test different brands and frame sizes. I would be buying used locally and would try the bike out before purchase. My thoughts are that if I get a nicer bike initially I would save money down the road by not needing to upgrade, but is a $3000 bike built that much better than a $1500 bike?

This purchase would be just for fun, not commuting regularly. Worth investing in for savings down the line or should I initially go for less?

cb400bill

Why waste time and money? Buy the bike that you want.

jon c. 

If you like it and you can afford it, go for it. It's supposed to be fun and if you feel like a nice bike will give you enjoyment, why not? A bike lasts a long, long time so the cost per mile over the years is pretty low. And it's worth it. A nicer bike won't make you a whole lot faster, but if it puts a smile on your face when you ride it that's what really matters.

GlennR

I started 10 years ago on my son's 12 year old $400 mountain style bike. A year later I bought a $3000 carbon fiber road bike. I went from riding 30 miles a week to 100 miles. 4 years later my last child was "off the family payroll" and I decided to get a graduation present to myself.. so I bought a "stupid" expensive bike and not i'm doing between 150-200 miles a week (i'm also retired).

If you truly enjoy cycling AND can afford a $2500 bike.. get it.

Just remember that a $400 bike that you don't ride is more expensive than a $2500 that you ride all the time.

BTW.. i've put 26,000 miles on my bike so i'm under 50¢ per mile so it's a bargain in my book.

Phil_gretz

A bike is not an investment. It is a depreciating asset. But, if you have the money (do NOT finance a depreciating asset) set aside, and you can meet your other financial goals without needing this money, then you can consider spending it on a bicycle. Whether or not you will notice the difference between a $2.5K bike and a $1.5K bike can be debated by others. I'd say to set a goal to spend half of what you planned. It will still be an improvement over what you had been riding.

Retro Grouch 

If you don't spend the money to buy the bike that you think you want, what do you think you will do with it? If it's truly disposable income, a year from now you won't be able to remember what you did with it if you don't buy the bike. If you do buy the bike, a year from now you'll have the bike.

Here's the downside: the day that you buy it, it's fun to own a nice bike or car or whatever. One week later, it's a used bike. There is always going to be a new, neater, nicer bike down the road for you to envy.

Money aside, what is your objective? Most people don't know. A bicycle isn't the kind of asset that has very much intrinsic value. The real value of a bicycle has to do with it's fun factor.

Reflector Guy

If you don't buy it, you'll forever be regretting whatever decision led to settling for the lesser bike you bought instead.

Manster

It will be well worth it if is the bike that inspires you to ride.

GAtkins

Buy once, cry once.

Glenn

Leebo

Cheaper than therapy and a second girlfriend, better than a gym membership. Price on miles per smiles? Most here might have 5-10 + bikes. I have 9, just getting by.

spoofer

I just spent $1250. 0n my first road bike in 40 years. I got a Trek Domane. Then I spent $!50 on a new helmet. Then $40 on a rear rack. $20 on Amazon for flashing lights. Then another $40 on a under the seat bag. Now I just ordered a new air pump. Not bad...only spent $1600 bux with tax in the last couple weeks. Put 99 miles on so far. Feeling the burn of my 61 y/o legs. Love the bike and the folks at Syracuse Bike are fantastic!

Retro Grouch 

"Buy nice or buy twice."

Mogens

As others have said, it depends on your finances. For me, right now in the middle of this pandemic, it would be reckless, for example. You can certainly get an excellent bike that you'll love riding for less than $2500 though.

taco2ewsday

If you can afford it and will ride it, it's not a waste, now I would say which 2.5k bike may be a thing to consider. Going from an upright citibike to a low and sleek race bike might be a bit of an adjustment for you, so if allowed I'd say try to take a test ride and make sure you will be comfortable.

Also understand at 2.5k the bike may not come with pedals, you'll be encouraged to buy clipless pedals and shoes, a helmet some lights and you could have an additional $500 or more before you are ready to roll.

kingston 

I always advise people to get an aluminium frame w/105 for their first bike. It's good enough that it won't hold you back for the first couple of seasons. If you're still into cycling an a couple of years, you'll probably want a different bike anyway. If you decide it's not for you, then you still have a decent bike that you can take out from time-to-time but haven't spent thousands of dollars on something you don't use.

Koyote

I'm sometimes amused by a total newbie poster who has bought (or is thinking about buying) a $5k+ bike -- it's tough to make a smart choice when you know so little about cycling. But it seems like you have some actual riding experience, have thought about it a lot, and you're talking about maybe $3k -- which, yes, will get you a bike that is significantly better (and probably more reliable) than one that costs half as much. I say, go for it. But be sure to budget for pedals and shoes, water bottle cages, and a decent computer.

By the way, when I think back on the bikes I've purchased, my only regrets are (with some of my bikes) that I didn't just spend more and get what I really wanted.

billridesbikes

No, get the bike you like. The differences between a $2.5k bike and a $1.5k bike are small, but you’ll appreciate them the more you get into the sport. It’s more like getting the ‘sport’ option package on your favorite car rather than getting a bike that is twice as good.

Come back when you want to drop $3k+ on a deep-V ENVE wheel set with FMB tubulars for shaving one second off your Strava time on the local MUP and we’ll have a discussion then.

Reflector Guy

Think of all those times when you were a kid and you asked for some really cool toy for Christmas, only to have Santa bring you instead the cheaper version of it with less features.

laxpatrick

"Cheaper than a heart attack" is what I tell my wife...

sdmc530

Buy on! Its not crazy at all.

GlennR

Depends if you're always trying to "one up" everyone.

I bought a Emonda SLR in 2015. Since then Trek has updated the bike twice. I have absolutely no desire or need to replace the bike i have. I gives me great pleasure every time I ride it.

So if you don't settle and get the bike you want, you'll have no regrets.

And yes, the minute you leave he store the bike is worth 1/3 less, so ride the crap out of it.

indyfabz

Yes. $2,500 is way too little.

vespasianus

This is the best advice.

mtb_addict

since u say u are buying a used bike...then the price is irrelevant.

if u buy it and then later find u dont like it, u can sell it to get most of your money back at least.


and if you are lucky, u might even make a profit!

79pmooney

Question: is the money no big deal for you or are you spending hard earned cash? I ask because this could make a big difference down the road, As a newcomer to serious cycling, you do not know yet what "good bike fit" for you is. Any bike you get, at any price level, could be a "class B" fit for you. Spend so much that you feel committed to this bike and you may spend years on a poorly fitting bike the means you never get the the sublime place a good bike and fit should be. You go riding with clubs. The old guys in the club say "you really should be riding a bike with 'XXX'. You should trade that one in." But you've spent so much you can't see it as being wrong so you keep riding it. Maybe for years. Sadly, those sublime moments when all is just perfect never happen. But that's OK because you don't know.

Now say you spent half that for a bike with a lesser frame, a level down in part and the same mediocre fit. You like the riding but you know this bike isn't "it" That bike is just a starter for you, That same club member says you should be riiding a bike with 'XXX'. You listen. As you ride this bike you realize you really want "this type of gearing" because now you know that works best for the type of riding you are falling in love with. A bike comes up for sale for $2500 with 'XXX' and that gearing. You buy it. And wow! The bike that disappears under you!

Not all of us get that "wow" bike 2nd try. It rarely happens first try. Spending so much you cannot afford to let your bike or bikes "evolve" to what works best for you is quite likely putting a large damper on what your riding can be.

Last point - that "wow!" bike is only very loosely related to how much you spend. There are 40 yo bikes out there that fit you like a dream, have light, fast wheels and (once you get used to the idea that its just a 40 yo steel bike and you have to reach between your knees to shift those 10 gears (5 X 2, back when multipliication was used to describe gears!) disappear. You ride for miles before you think once about what's under you.

I'm not saying you need to become an old fart like me that has older bikes he loves. I just don't want you to spend so much now that your mind is closed to seeing what will better suit you as you grow into cycling. (My bikes - a 1973 build, a 1979 custom built for me, a 1983 stock bike set up as a workhorse fix gear, a 2008 custom road bike and a 2011 custom road fix gear both built for me. I spent $80 of hard earned cash as a young teen to buy my first 10 speed. $400 for the bike that introduced me to racing. Fit for both of these bikes was mediocre but I had no clue. Spent $500 for my racing bike wholesale as a bike shop employee. The fit! Now I knew! It took me years to figure out how to get the fit of that pure racer onto my non-race bikes but from the moment I got on that bike, I knew.

Ben